Apparatus for the manufacture of aromatic bodies from petroleum-oils.



FfW. MANN L M. CHAPPELL. APPARATUS FOR THE IVIANUFACTURE 0F ARONIATICBODIES FROM PETROLEUM OILS..

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3| 1917.

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FREDERICK WILLIAM MANN, OF BERKELEY, AND MARVIN LEE CHAPPELL, 0F ELSEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS T0 STANDARD OIL COMPANY, OF RICHMOND,CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF AROMATIC BODIES FROM PETROLEUM-OILS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11i, 191W..

Application led May 3, 1917, Serial No. 166,131.

To Vall whom t may concern.'

. Be it known that we, FREDERICK WILLIAM MANN 'and MARVIN LEE CHAPPELL,citizens \of the vUnited States, residing the said MANN at Berkeley, inthe county of Alameda and State of California, and the said CHAPPELL atEl Segundo, Los Angeles county, State of California, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture ofAromatic Bodies from Petroleum-Oils, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of aromaticbodies from petroleum oils containing oils of the carbocyclic series,and` is particularly applicable for the production o f benzol, toluol,

Xylol'and other aromatic bodies, by dehydrogenationunder vacuum, astypified generally by that process disclosed lin Patent No. 121-1204,granted Jany. 30, 1917, upon our application for Process for theproduction ofv aromatic bodies andgas from petroleum oils, to whichsaidfpatent we herein eX- pressly refer both for a confirmatoryunderstanding. of the use of our 4present apparatus and for adisclosureof its distinctive novelty, to'wit,its application of the heat; inthis'casethe .gases ofv combustion being mixed with the injected oil andair..

Dur invention comprises a converter containing the contact mass; meansfor supplying the oil to be treated, together with the necessary volumeof air, to said converter;A

additional means for producing an internal combustion in the converterfrom a hydrocarbonand air introduced into the converter in such a ratioand such quantities as to make a complete combustion and producingthereby sufficient heat to bring about and to maintain the desiredreaction-temperature,I` .l

or a hydrocarbon gas and air are introduced vby means of branch pipes 20and' 21 respecand means for maintaining in said converter, duringtreatment of the oil, a pressure below atmospheric.

The advantages of this apparatus due to its preferred construction asherein describedas follows: First-a saving in fuel. Secondprolongationof the life of the vertical converter on account of beingprop'- erlyinteriorly .insulated by suitable lining. rilhird-a more constanttemperature mainthe contact mass, by which an increased yield of thedesired aromatic oil products is obtained. Fourth*a saving in labor.

In the accompanying drawing, to which reference is hereby made,

Figure 1 is a general view, more or less diagrammatic, of our apparatus,the vertical converter being in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of a slightly modied convertermember of the apparatus.

l is an oil storage tank which is filled by means of a pipe 2. `From thestorage tank 1 leads a pipe 3, controlled by a'valve 4, to a preheater 5whichcontains a steam coil 6 connected with a steam boiler, not shown,and controlled by valves 7 and v8.

From the preheater 5 leads a pipe 9 to spray nozzle 10 with a pipebranch connection 11, controlled by a valve 12, which connects with asource of air supply, not shown.; The flow of oil from pipe 9 iseontrolledby 4 valve 13.

14 is a cylindrical iron or steel shell of the converter, said shellbeing lined at 15 with fire brick or kieselguhr brick, or both. Theupper section of the converter is filled with a suitable contact mass16,'which is of the nature described in our process. patent yhereinbefore referred to, namely a porous metal or metals, preferablythe lower oXid of nickel.

17 is a brick arch which supports the contact mass. 18 is checkeredbrickwork which forms part of the internal combustion or heating chamberof the converter, by which is brought about a uniform heating andmaintaining of the desired temperature of -reaction in the upper orcontactsection of the converter.

19 is aburner through which oil and air tively, whichpipes arecontrolled by valves 22 and 23. y 24 is a pyrometerwhich indicates thetemdenser 32 contained in condenser box 33. From the condenser box 33 apipe 34 runs .into a receiver 35. From the top of receiver 35 leads apipe 36 to the suction end of a compresser 37 lwhich discharges into a4pipe 38 andthrough a coiled pipe 39 which is contained in a condenserbox 40. f

From condenser box 40 leads a pipe 41 to `the bottom and along thebottom of a tank Petroleum oils or petroleum distillate coming fromstorage tank 1 flows thiough pipe 3 linto preheater 5 where itis heatedto a temperature ranging from 150 to 250 C., and then flows through pipe9 into spray nozzle 10 and is regulated by means of valve 13. This flowmay be e'ected either by gravitation or under pump pressure, and

the oil may berintroduced'either in aliquid state into the converter, orin the form of a vapor spray or gas, and mixed with a certain regulatedquantity of air, namely 500 to. 800 cubic feet of air for each 15 to 20gallons of oil introduced. rIhe air is admitted through pipe 11 andregulated by means of valve 12.

' The temperature insidey the converter is maintained at from 600 to 750 centigrade, by means of burner 19 through which is introduced oil andair or a hydrocarbon gas for and airby means of pipes 20 and 21 Whlchconnect with asource of oil and air or a hydrocarbon gas and airrespectively. The How of oil and air or a hydrocarbon 'gas and air iscontrolled by means ofvalves 22 and 23 so that there is broughtI about acomplete combustion without using an excess of oxygen and according toformula:

,I cnagcozarenzo CMH-M aeoaiooz-l-eei-Izo At the same time a pressure offrom one to four inches :of mercury below atmospheric pressure, that is734.6 to 658.4A millimeters of l.mercury absolute pressure is maintainedin the converter. This pressure below the atmospheric is maintained bymeans of the suction pipe 36 of compressor 37. The catalytic mass 16'inthe converter becomes coated with carbon after the oil has been passingi through it for some time. 1t is necessary to clean the mass at theend' of each run ranging from 40 to 90 minutes duration. This isaccomplished by closing valves 13 and 23 in the branch pipes 9 and 20whereby the flow of petroleum oil and fuel oil to the converter isinterrupted. Simultanegasl that collects in yously the valve 28 of thebranch pipe 27 is opened and the valve 29 of the branch pipe 26 isclosed. The supply .of air to the converter is increased through branchpipe 11 by means of valve 12. The air acts on the carbon coating of thecatalytic mass according to the reactions The temperature in theconverter rises from 750 to 850 C., during the oxidation of the. carbon.At the end'of from 20 to 40 minutes, `the catalytic mass is freed fromits coating of carbon. The quantity of air is then reduced to a pointbetween 500 and 800 cubic feet and petroleum oil, oil spray or oil vaporand fuel oil is again turned into the converter in like manner andproportion as when a new start is made.

y The passage of petroleum oils or petro' leum distillates through thecatalytic material, as described, produces 20 to 35% of a permanenthydrocarbon gas, mixed with the products of combustion, carbon dioxidand nitrogen, and 50 to 75% of aromatic bodies which pass from theconverter by branch pipe 262 into the tank 30 where aportion of coil ofpipe 39 are collected in the scrubber or receiver 42 which containsscrubbing oil and is kept under a pressure of from 50 to 80 pounds persquare inch by`means of `compressor 37 and. the excess discharge valve44, from which the permanent `gas enters the gas holder .45 through pipe43.

The aromatic bodies thus produced are collected in the tank 30 andreceivers 35 and 42 and are pumped into a storage tank. Finally they aretreated and fractionated by\well known methods.

Other well known methods may be used in connection with this converterfor collecting the aromatic bodies thus formed and to bring aboutcirculation of the gas vapors and oils through the apparatus and tomaintain the pressure of from one to four inches mercury belowatmospheric pressure, as for instance, exhausters.

In place of the construction of the vertical L-shaped converter shown inFig. 1, we may construct the converter in the shape of a straight,vertical cylinder as shown in Fig. 2.

We claim 1. An apparatus for the described purpose comprising aconverter; a contact mass the converter, during the treatment o in saidconverter; means for supplying to the converter, the oil to be t-reated,together with the volume of air required for the contemplated reactionsin the presence of the contact mass; additional means for introducinv toand burning within the converter a uid fuel for producing completecombustion and maintaining the required reaction temperature; and meansfor producing and. maintaining in the converter, during the treatment ofthe oil, a pressure below atmospheric.

2. .An apparatus for the described purpose comprising a converter; acontact mass in the converter; means for supplying to the converter theoil to be treated together with the volume of air required for thecontemplated reactions in the presence of the contact mass; additionalmeans for introducing to and burning within the converter a fluid fuelfor producing complete combustion and maintaining the required reactiontemperature; a vapor outlet condensing and collecting system from saidconverter; a compressor connected on its suction side with said systemfor producing and maintainin in tg the oil, a pressure belowatmospheric; and a gas condensing and collecting system connected withthe discharge side of said compressor.

3. An apparatus for the described purpose comprising a converter; acontact mass in the converter; means for supplying to the converter theoil to be treated together with the vvolume of air required for thecontemplated reactions in the presence of the contact mass; vadditionalmeans for introducing toand burning within the converter a fluid fuelfor producing complete combustion and maintaining the required reactiontemperature; a vapor outlet condensing and' collect' ing system fromsaid converter; a compressor connected on its suction side with saidsystem for producing and maintaining in the converter during thetreatment of the oil, a pressure. below atmospheric; a gas condensingand collecting systemI connected with the discharge side of saidcompressor; and' a controllable outlet from the converter to the outerair, disposed with relation to the contact mass therein on the sideopposite to that exposed to the air supply means.

In testimony whereof we have signed'our names to this specification. fFREDERICK WILLIAM MANN.

MARVIN LEE CHAPPELL.

